Embassy of Switzerland in South Africa’s Post

THE COMMUNIST AUTOCRACIES ARE ENABLING AND MANIPULATING THE KEFFIYEH TOTING ISLAMISTS, LEFT OF LENNIN TERRORISTS AND ASSORTED BRAINLESS LEMMINGS TO CREATE A USEFUL ANARCHY “Analysis of some of the leading pro-Palestinian social media influencers in the UK, who have ballooned in popularity in the wake of the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, has revealed that many of their followers are fake. Experts said such a boost from fake profiles would disproportionately amplify pro-Palestinian voices – the more bots that engage with them and promote them, the more platform algorithms are likely to ensure that other social media users see them. Security services are also understood to be concerned about the threat of disinformation about the war in Gaza circulating online, as well as the possibility of hostile state involvement. A Government source said: “It’s clear that foreign states are engaged in trying to manipulate public opinion by skewing the way we interact online. They hope to destabilise and undermine our institutions. “It’s the role of the defending democracy taskforce to work across Government and the security services to understand and combat those threats.” A second senior Whitehall official said: “Oct 7 and the conflict in Gaza are exactly the kind of issues that Russia tries to exploit to spread disinformation and division here in the UK.”🇬🇧

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Russia is the single largest sponsor of Africa-wide disinformation campaigns with 16 far-reaching operations. These disinformation campaigns employ paid African influencers, digital avatars, and the circulation of fake and out-of-context videos and photographs. Messages copy-and-paste from and are amplified through multiple channels of Russian state-controlled media, radio, and official communications, creating the repetitive echo chambers in which disinformation narratives become rote. Russian embassies appear to have helped set up a network of ostensibly African grassroots front organizations (Partenariat Alternatif Russie-Afrique pour le Développement Économique (PARADE) and Groupe Panafricain pour le Commerce et l’Investissement (GPCI)) to generate and amplify disinformation. https://lnkd.in/dkUJZr_5

Imran Khan's digital strategy has transformed the political landscape in Pakistan, leveraging social media to connect with millions and shape public discourse. By breaking down barriers between leader and supporter, Khan has created a sense of authenticity and accessibility never before seen in Pakistani politics. As he continues to use technology to drive change, his digital legacy serves as a reminder of the power of innovation in shaping political narratives. https://lnkd.in/dFCN2DW3 #imrankhanpti #PakistanPolitics #DigitalTransformation #digitalamarketing

🔎 How can disinformation manipulate global politics? After the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, pro-Kremlin influencers and Russian supporters seized on Ryan Routh’s strong backing of Ukraine, using it to imply a connection between Kyiv and the attack 🇺🇦 By linking unrelated events, Russia fueled conspiracy theories to undermine US support for Ukraine. A real example of information warfare at work, DFRLab's latest piece shows how easily disinformation can shape public perception and geopolitical policies. Read more about how pro-Kremlin influencers spread unfounded connections between Ukraine and a would-be Trump assassin: https://bit.ly/3Ylho6I #RyanRouth #RussiaUkraine #TrumpAssassinationAttempt

With this SOCMINT (social media intelligence) course, in China, you get the best of the best for QQ, WECHAT, WEIBO and best tips, tricks, methods, and OSINT strategies to access, bypass and leverage social media for information gathering in China, without barriers. https://lnkd.in/d2DgKgEu

Starting today, on World IP Day, German associations and a well-known online retailer are launching a joint social media campaign titled "Echt Fake" aimed at educating young people about the risks of purchasing counterfeit products. The campaign content will primarily be distributed via Instagram, targeting the Generation Z, using the hashtag #echtfake. According to a 2022 survey by the EUIPO, over 39% of 15 to 24-year-olds in Germany admitted to knowingly purchasing counterfeit products at least once within a year. Among this demographic, 41% cited the lower price as the primary reason for buying counterfeit goods. #anticounterfeiting #worldIPday #iplaw #ASDLaw #ArneckeSibethDabelstein

Asia Pacific consumers have a complicated relationship with social media. They like using social media as a shopping channel and as a place but they also rank it as the least trustworthy. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gz3nim9f #VoiceofConsumer #ConsumerConfidence #Trust #PwCIndonesia Peter Hohtoulas, Ely Kwan, Martijn Peeters

𝗥𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮 ‘𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗞 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼-𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘢𝘻𝘢 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 #Russia and #China are “manipulating” public opinion in #Britain by promoting pro-Palestinian influencers online in an effort to stoke division, Whitehall sources have told The Telegraph. Senior Government figures fear rogue states are promoting polarising online narratives about the Israel-Hamas conflict using an army of fake social media accounts. Analysis of some of the leading pro-#Palestinian social media influencers in the #UK, who have ballooned in popularity in the wake of the Oct 7 #Hamas attacks on #Israel, has revealed that many of their followers are fake. Experts said such a boost from fake profiles would disproportionately amplify pro-Palestinian voices – the more bots that engage with them and promote them, the more platform algorithms are likely to ensure that other social media users see them. Security services are also understood to be concerned about the threat of disinformation about the war in #Gaza circulating online, as well as the possibility of hostile state involvement. A Government source said: “It’s clear that foreign states are engaged in trying to manipulate public opinion by skewing the way we interact online. They hope to destabilise and undermine our institutions. “It’s the role of the defending democracy taskforce to work across Government and the security services to understand and combat those threats.” A second senior Whitehall official said: “Oct 7 and the conflict in Gaza are exactly the kind of issues that Russia tries to exploit to spread disinformation and division here in the UK.” https://lnkd.in/eFeTRxtC

As election day approaches, a Daily Maverick investigation monitoring trends in political discourse has revealed that the buying and selling of influence on the social media platform X is becoming a significant trend that requires scrutiny. This article is the first in a series that will delve deeper into the commodification of influence in South Africa.